The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio (UTHSCSA) Graduate School of Biomedical Science (GSBS), Incarnate Word College (IWC) and the University of Texas Pan American (UTPANAM) propose to establish a cooperative progressive program for under represented minorities. The program would provide activities to support students to receive a Master's degree in biology at IWC and UTPANAM and their Ph.D. in either biochemistry, cellular and structural biology, microbiology, pharmacology, physiology or radiological sciences at GSBS. The goal is to increase the number of under represented minorities that enter a biomedical research career. The specific aims are to increase the academic competitiveness of the students during their Master's degree training, facilitate their entry into a Ph.D. program and assist IWC and UTPANAM to enhance and further develop their research and curriculum. Activities include: 1) admission to a master's program at IWC or UTPANAM with provisional admission to the GSBS; 2) at the end of the first year, a summer research experience at the GSBS with a faculty mentor whose research interests are similar to those of the supervising professor at IWC or UTPANAM; 3) appointment of the GSBS faculty mentor to the student's supervising committee; 4) admission to a Ph.D. program at the GSBS; 5) opportunities for the IWC and UTPANAM faculty to work with the GSBS faculty for further research training, development of cooperative research activities and assistance in obtaining grants; and 6) presentation of seminars, lectures, workshops by faculty from the three institutions.